Lent, Holy Week & Easter: A User s Guide

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Lent, Holy Week & Easter: A User s Guide The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare them by a

2 Lent, Holy Week & Easter: A User s Guide The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare them by a season of penitence and fasting. (Book of Common Prayer, [BCP] ) Because the forty days of Lent were (and still are) used to prepare adults for Baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter during Holy Week, the tone of the season of Lent is one of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation with God. This message of penitence (another word for repentance or atonement) and reconciliation is so important to Christians that the seasons of Lent, Holy Week and Easter fill up a substantial part of the church year. CHILDREN AND LENT Our children are watching all that we do. When we change the colors of the altar hangings in Lent, we visually change the appearance of our worship space. When we place ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, we outwardly change our appearance. During this prayerful season, children are invited to fully reflect and participate in Lent. These forty days create space for all of us, young or older, to talk about Jesus life, death, and resurrection. In taking on or letting go, as your Lenten disciplines form, encourage your children to also take on or give up things that would foster their relationship with God. You might take on reading a Bible story each day, say your prayers together, or take Sabbath time together to give thanks for God s creation. Whatever you choose, know that we walk the days of Lent together, children and adults, reflecting on the love of God and God s power over death, even death on the cross. At St. John s, we sense God s presence during Lent. We experience the beautiful liturgy of the New Zealand Prayer Book, see the vibrant Lenten vestments, smell wonderful incense during certain services and touch handmade wooden chalices and patens. We also hear the sounds of South African, Taize, Spanish, and other world music, featured across the global Anglican Communion. During Holy Week, our worship space reflects the solemnity of the season. The cross in the sanctuary and the processional crosses are veiled. Our music ministry becomes quiet, simple and introspective. As we reach Maundy Thursday, the altar is stripped bare in expectation of Christ s crucifixion on Good Friday. We are preparing ourselves for the resurrection of Jesus. Lent is a season of transformation. C.S. Lewis penned it best in Mere Christianity: [Repentance] means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into... It means killing part of yourself, under-going a kind of death. The observance of Lent is a period of self-examination, asking God for forgiveness and repentance. This transformational process includes an intentional change of heart and mind that leads you into closer unity with God. It is a kind of death-to-self transformation that Lewis references here as we attempt to follow Christ in all ways.

3 What Do I Do During Lent? Since Lent is an opportunity for repentance and renewal, we come together as a community and walk through the season through corporate prayer and worship. We learn to journey with Jesus through the events that led to his death and resurrection. Our participation in the dying and rising of Jesus Christ, the Paschal mystery, is at the core of the Christian faith. Begin by attending Ash Wednesday services, and make a personal commitment to one or more of the spiritual practices below. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES for LENT FASTING SELF-DENIAL ATTEND A CLASS DAILY PRAYER Fast on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. If you have not experienced fasting before a spiritual discipline that Jesus himself practiced consider beginning with a juice fast. This includes drinking only water and apple juice during the day and limiting yourself to a small meal at night. If this works, work up to a full fast at your second attempt. Hunger pains can be a helpful way to remember to pray for others and enter into self-reflection. If you have health concerns, please consult your doctor before fasting. Self-denial can be an addition to, or alternative for, fasting. Giving up a favorite food, drink or a bad habit for the entire season of Lent forces you to be mindful of the hunger of others each time you crave that item or revert to a certain behavior. These are simple acts of self-denial that help us grow toward Christ. However, don t ere by making them too simple. This defeats the purpose. Attend a Christian education class or Bible study on Sundays or weekdays. See the full listing of Christian Education and Spiritual Enrichment Offerings available online at under the Learn menu or pick up a copy in the church office. Begin and/or end the day with personal Morning or Evening Prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer. For easier access at home, at work, or during your commute you can access the Daily Office online by visiting Mission St. Clare that offers the service in online and audio format:

4 PRACTICE YOGA PERSONAL CONFESSION DAILY DEVOTIONAL SERVICE OF COMPLINE LENTEN LUNCHES Take a Lenten yoga class at St. John s, where we will focus on fostering simplicity and self-control. The practice of yoga is accessible to all ages and a positive way to cultivate inner peace and spirituality. A registered yoga teacher will be teaching the series Wednesday evenings beginning March 13 and running through April 10, at 5:30 p.m. in Bishop s Common. Sign up online bit.ly/yogaforlent or through the office. Consult your priests about a personal confession (or Reconciliation of a Penitent). You ll meet with Fr. Dave, Mtr. Abi or Rev. Kathy, who will help you prepare for this process. The Episcopal Church has revitalized this practice as a way for Christians to seek Christ s healing power through guided self-reflection, admission of sins and reconciliation with God through forgiveness. Pick up an Episcopal Relief and Development 2019 Devotional Guide for Lent available in your church office. Establish a set time during Lent to read the daily devotional and then sit in silence (or prayer) after you finish for five minutes. You ll be surprised at what you find in the silence. Attend Compline on Sunday evenings during Lent. St. John's offers Compline during the Academic year on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. in the candlelit church. Compline, led by clergy and a men s choir, is an ancient monastic worship service offered to God before bedtime. It is a brief, meditative mix of Scripture, prayers, and music. Six local churches will come together to share worship and a simple meal on Thursdays during Lent (March 7 April 11). Each event will begin with a brief worship service at 12:10 p.m., followed by a simple lunch prepared by the host church. In addition to St. John s, the host churches include First Baptist, Trinity UMC, Saint Paul s UMC, Bethel Missionary Baptist and First Presbyterian. Pastors from those churches will rotate as leaders of worship. Whatever your faith tradition, you are invited to join these Christian congregations as they come Together in Lent.

5 Lenten Worship Descriptions: Ash Wednesday March 6 7:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes 12:10 p.m. Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes 5:30 p.m. Family Service with Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes 7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes Ash Wednesday opens the season of Lent, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning spring or forty days when translated from the Latin, quadragesima. Since the 4 th Century, Christians described this forty-day period as a penitential season during which converts would prepare for Easter baptism. In the Episcopal tradition we prepare candidates for baptism during this time but we also encourage the renewal of your baptismal covenant for the entire parish and those who wish to recommit themselves to following Christ. The service of Ash Wednesday is multi-faceted. The priest also imposes ashes on the forehead of each parishioner at this service. He or she makes a small cross and says, Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. (BCP 265) This practice has its roots in the Old Testament when covering yourself with sackcloth and ashes was a sign of repentance and mourning. Early Christians followed the same practice. This service is an invitation to observe a Holy Lent. The ashes used during the service are prepared by burning the palms from the previous years Palm Sunday service. By having our foreheads marked we are reminded that we completely belong to God and wear the ashes as a sign of repentance. The imposition of ashes is followed by a communal confession of sin and absolution by the priest. The Processions are conducted in silence to mark the solemnity of the day. HOLY WEEK: APRIL Holy Week encompasses the week leading up but not including Easter Day. It begins with Palm Sunday, continues with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Great Vigil of Easter. Each service in Holy Week allows us to walk with Jesus through the events leading to his death on the cross. We experience the Last Supper, his denial in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his crucifixion on Good Friday. We remember that Christ went to his death for our redemption.

6 The Sunday of Passion: Palm Sunday April 14 8:00 a.m. Liturgy of the Palms, Passion Reading and Holy Eucharist 9:00 a.m. Procession, Sung Passion and Holy Eucharist 11:15 a.m. Procession, Sung Passion and Holy Eucharist 5:30 p.m. Procession, Liturgy of the Palms, Passion Reading & Holy Eucharist 8:00 p.m. Service of Compline This Sunday service one week prior to Easter is commonly referred to as Palm Sunday, but actually has a double title: The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. The Liturgy of the Palms begins in the garden, where the palms are blessed and the congregation proceeds together carrying palms into the church to the sounds of festive hand bells and tower bells in remembrance of Christ s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Passion is chanted by choir members during the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week April 15, 16 and 17 12:10 p.m. Holy Eucharist These services have a devotional characteristic and should be observed as special acts of discipline during Holy Week. Ash Wednesday, all weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week, are considered by the Church to be special days set aside for self-denial and acts of discipline, or heightened attention to intentional worship, prayer and attending to the needs of others. Walking Through Holy Week with Children April 17 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Holy Week Family Service Holy Week is full of action, prayer, and story. This family-friendly service allows us to walk through Jesus last days, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, through stories, songs and lots of movement - from the chapel to the church and into Eve s Garden. While this service is planned with pre-k and early elementary-aged children in mind, all ages are welcome and the service is expected to last less than an hour.

7 Maundy Thursday April 18 7:00 p.m. Liturgy for Maundy Thursday and Holy Eucharist (with Incense) Childcare offered during this evening service. Gethsemane Watch in the chapel begins after the service. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum and refers directly to John 13:34 Jesus mandate to love one another. Maundy Thursday ties the events of the Last Supper directly to Good Friday and Jesus death on the cross. Maundy Thursday is important because it forever links Jesus institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper and his sacrifice for us on the cross on Good Friday. It is the only Eucharist celebrated between Wednesday of Holy Week and the Great Vigil. The optional foot washing included in this service can be best experienced as an act of humble service. It emulates Jesus s actions at the Last Supper when he washed the feet of his disciples. (John 13:4-16) This service concludes in darkness and silence, with the lights turned out, candles extinguished and all ornaments removed from the altar; all in preparation for the solemn event of Good Friday. A Gethsemane Watch follows in the chapel that commemorates Jesus night of praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. All are invited to sign up for one hour of the all-night watch. A security officer is on-site at all times. Good Friday April 19 12:10 p.m. Liturgy for Good Friday & Communion from Reserved Sacrament 3:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross 7:00 p.m. Liturgy for Good Friday Childcare offered during this evening service. The Good Friday liturgy can be traced back to Jerusalem in the 4 th century and serves as a commemoration of Jesus crucifixion. Central to the service is the veneration of the cross and communion from reserved Sacrament (a.k.a. the consecrated bread and wine from the Maundy Thursday Eucharist). The veneration of the cross is a ceremony believed to be brought home by early pilgrims to be the site of Christ s crucifixion in Jerusalem in the early 3 rd and 4 th centuries. Today many in the Anglican Communion maintain this tradition by bringing a large wooden cross into the church during the service. Worshippers come forward to touch or kiss the cross. There are no opening or closing hymns and very little music. The liturgy concludes with communion from reserved Sacrament. The Good Friday Stations of the Cross service features sung portions by choristers from St. John's and First Presbyterian.

The Great Vigil of Easter April 20 7:00 p.m. Holy Baptism and Eucharist (with Incense) Service begins in Eve s Garden and continues in the church. Childcare offered during this evening service.

8 The Great Vigil of Easter April 20 7:00 p.m. Holy Baptism and Eucharist (with Incense) Service begins in Eve s Garden and continues in the church. Childcare offered during this evening service. The Great Vigil, the most profound liturgy of the church year, is about waiting in anticipation of Christ s resurrection. The lighting of the Paschal Candle, or the light of Christ, represents Christ s movement out into the world and the good news of his victory over sin and death. Scripture readings from the Old and New Testament remind us of how we are part of salvation history. Joyful music rings out from the bells, organ and choir. After the lighting of the Paschal Candle, which will burn continuously from this day through the Day of Pentecost, Holy Baptism is celebrated. If there are no child or adult candidates for baptism, the congregation renews their Baptismal Covenant together. The first Eucharist of Easter concludes the service. Easter Day April 21 7:30 a.m. The Sunday of the Resurrection 9:00 a.m. The Sunday of the Resurrection 11:15 a.m. The Sunday of the Resurrection 5:30 p.m. The Sunday of the Resurrection 8:00 p.m. The Service of Compline A service filled with joy, alleluias, tower bells and choirs as we glory in Christ s triumph! 211 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida

Lent, Holy Week and Easter: A User s Guide

2014 Lent, Holy Week and Easter: A User s Guide Written by The Rev d Jessica Babcock St. Christopher s Episcopal Church Pensacola, Florida Lent, Holy Week, and Easter: A User s Guide The first Christians